Just Friends
by ayelles
Summary: LALEY! Slightly AU. "They always thought it was impossible for things to change. Because they had always known that they were just friends. And yet, they didn't want to be." Please R&R!
1. Just Friends

**Author's Note:** _Slightly AU. Set around the same time that Lucas gets into the car crash. There's no crash, no injury and Haley doesn't know what went on with Peyton and Lucas._

"Lucas?" Haley called out as she entered his house. She knew that he would be home right now, and of course she was there to keep him company. It was two months until their sophomore year of high school would finally end, and the weather was just getting warm again. Haley, snug in her green tank top, stepped into the house comfortably.

She had spent the past two months here, making up the time she would be spending away during the summer. For the first half of the summer, she would be attending a serious pre-college program in Boston. There, she was to take college level writing courses and hopefully decide if she would be moving to Boston or New England in general for her college years. The rest of her summer was "claimed" by her boyfriend, Nathan Scott. He said to have already planned an exciting trip for the two of them.  
  
"Hales? In here." He replied. Tracking the sound of his voice, Haley found him in front of a half eaten pizza, two liters of root beer and some X-box game in the living room. He was sprawled across the floor in nothing but his boxers. Haley took a step back in shock of the sight. This lazy, pigging out Lucas was unfamiliar to her. The Lucas she knew was always reading or playing basketball, something that was at least productive. Eating junk food and playing video games was not a Lucas Scott activity.  
  
And then there was the fact that he was in his boxers. Haley, of course, had seen Lucas like that before. The two of them had been best friends since she moved to Tree Hill, when she was only seven. But now looking at his blonde hair falling across his forehead and the muscles in his arm flexing each time he moved the controller, Haley couldn't help but find him attractive.  
  
"Ew. Haley. Snap out of it," she told herself as she took a seat on the couch. After all this was her best friend since childhood, she couldn't possibly think of him like that. Besides, she was in a committed relationship with his half-brother Instead she began talking to him about his high score on the game. She wasn't really interested in video games, but she knew something was wrong. And knowing Lucas Scott, she would have to ease him into explaining his problem.  
  
"So, you look like you've been hungry." She said, gesturing to the open pizza box.  
  
"Go ahead and grab a slice, Hay." He said, not even looking up from his game.  
  
"So what's up?" she asked, exasperated. It was the thousandth time since she got there that she had asked the question, but he never really answered it.  
  
"Nothing." He replied. "I rule at the Ninja game." The beeps and rings from the tv continued to fill the room.  
  
"That's it!" Haley screeched, reaching over and unplugging the X-box.  
  
"What the hell did you do that for?" Lucas screamed at her.  
  
"Tell me what's going on." She glared at him, but he turned away. "Now, Lucas." Her voice had transformed into that of the Wicked Witch.  
  
Annoyed, Lucas finally answered her. "Brooke broke up with me." After he said that, he immediately turned away from Haley and fiddled with the controller.  
  
"Oh gosh," Haley said, dropping to her knees. "I'm sorry." Gently, she wrapped her arms around him.  
  
"It just feels so..." Lucas didn't finish his sentence, he just closed his eyes and hugged his best friend.

"Shh..." she whispered, holding him tightly. "Tell me what happened." There was tender concern in her voice, but deep inside anger boiled in Haley's system.

Brooke broke up with Lucas? From the moment that relationship had began, Haley was baffled because Luke was much too much too much too good for Brooke. She didn't deserve the time he spent with her nor the attention he gave. But Haley forced herself to focus on Lucas.

"It just feels so unreal, Haley... She warned me about it. You know we were fighting. We just weren't getting things right. And." His sentences came out one by one, his voice muffled since his head was pressed firmly to Haley's shoulder. She stroked his hair gently, listening as he continued to mumble details about his relationship with Brooke.

Ever since Peyton's dad had gone "missing" and Lucas went with her to identify the body, Lucas and Brooke's relationship took a different turn. More and more often, Lucas would spend several hours on the phone with Haley asking for advice from a female perspective. His girlfriend seemed irrational to him, but was it just a girl thing? Willingly, Haley talked to him and coaxed him out of his bouts with depression. All the while explaining that girls often got scared when relationships became more serious. She was well aware of the fear in her heart now that her relationship with Nathan was continuing to escalate.

Haley continued to hold on to Lucas, rubbing his shoulder with one hand and his blonde head with the other. She hated to see him like this. All through their childhood, they relied on each other and Haley would be damned if she let him suffer alone. Especially because of some brunette cheerleader like Brooke. She whispered the same words over and over again, until she lost all sense of time and space. Solely concentrated on telling her best friend "It's going to be okay".

She was so focused on Lucas that Haley was completely unaware that someone stood at the threshold of the living room. His dark eyes flashed with anger and jealousy as he watched the scene in front of him. On the floor of living room, his girlfriend knelt next to a half open box of pizza and had her arms wrapped around the half naked torso of his half brother.

"What." Nathan's voice was rough and dark. "The." His breathing was loud and angry. "Fuck."

Haley and Lucas both looked up, both their faces filled with a slight confusion. And though Nathan hoped that the scene before him had a reasonable explanation, he couldn't deny that there was a tinge of guilt in the faces before him. Not knowing what to do, he turned and ran.


	2. Chasing Nathan

Nathan was afraid of getting into an accident, he knew his blood had passed the boiling point and if given the chance he would run over every pedestrian between Lucas's home and Alaska. So thinking of himself, as well as the wellbeing of the citizens of Tree Hill, he jammed his hands into the pockets of his jeans and walked briskly down the street. A few moments later he broke into a jog, before running full speed down the street.  
  
And though the many people that saw him run past thought that his heart would be going a thousand beats a minute, Nathan couldn't feel his heart.  
  
He ran and ran and his heart rate reached dangerous levels, his muscles strained and would keep him on the bench for the next few basketball games but he couldn't do anything about it. He wanted to get as far away as possible. Far away from his half-brother and his girlfriend. Try as he might, he couldn't focus on the images ahead of him. He couldn't really see the people on the sidewalk or the cars on the street. The one picture burned into his mind was his girlfriend, his beautiful, smart, funny Haley on the floor with her arms wrapped around the half naked torso of his older, blonder, equally athletic half-brother.  
  
Betrayed. Jealous. Angry. Shocked. Confused. Infuriated. Disappointed.  
  
Nathan Scott was a Petri dish of emotions.  
  
Finally, he reached his own home. Entering his home quietly, so as not to disturb his mother, he climbed into his own bed. Praying that tears wouldn't come in his sleep, he closed his eyes and entered darkness.  
  
It was only about an hour later, when his eyelids flickered, revealing his dark brown eyes to the world.  
  
As he slowly sat up in bed, still fully clothed, shoes included, he pushed away the covers that had entangled themselves around his body. It took a few moments of just sitting and blinking to remember why he was in bed in the middle of the afternoon, with all his clothes on. The fabric clung to the layer of sweat that had formed on his skin. The thought of Haley and Lucas clung to the layer of disbelief that had formed in his mind.  
  
No fucking way.  
  
That had been Nathan's first reaction when he entered Lucas's house. He had come to talk to Keith, knowing that his only uncle would be there. But when he stepped into the kitchen, he was only mildly startled to hear his girlfriend's voice. Nathan didn't kid himself, he was well aware that Haley and Lucas were best friends. After all, that was one of the original reasons that Nathan went for Haley. To piss Lucas off.  
  
Nathan never expected to fall in love with Haley. But it was undeniable, each time she laughed or made him laugh, there was a slight twist in his heart. For the first time in his life, Nathan was completely honest with someone. He made himself completely vulnerable. And she ended up in his pseudo-enemy's arms.  
  
Why.  
  
That had been the question lingering in Nathan's mind as he made his way home. Why would Haley be with Lucas? What did Lucas have that Nathan didn't? And besides, didn't Lucas already have a girlfriend? There was very little that made sense in Nathan's mind. He didn't want things to make sense. With every breath he took, he inhaled anger and exhaled rational thoughts.  
  
Before actual steam could be exhaled from his body, his thoughts were interrupted by a knock on his door. He grunted, the usual way he told his mother that he was occupied. But she didn't seem to hear him, because she began to knock again. He made an unrecognizable noise and slouched back to lie on the bed. Of all the people that he didn't want to see, his mother was probably the one that would most likely get through to him. And that was why he didn't want to see her.  
  
The knocking continued.  
  
"What?" he asked exasperated, watching the doorknob twist and the door slowly open.  
  
"Nathan..." it wasn't his mother. It was the person at the top of his People I Don't Want To See List.  
  
"I don't want to see you right now, Haley." The words came out in one rushed, clipped sentence. She could feel the anger radiating from him, but she stepped into the room anyway.  
  
"It's not like you think." Her voice was softer than he thought it would be. He expected her to be defensive, brimming with guilt. But she spoke gently, apologetically, with hurt in her voice.  
  
"Whatever."  
  
"Brooke just broke up with him and I-"  
  
"And you what, Haley?" His voice was bitter, his eyes refused to meet hers. "You decided that it was a perfect time to take her place?"  
  
"I'm not like that, Nathan. I can't believe you'd even think that." Her tone was angrier now, but even more hurt.  
  
"Yeah. Sure."  
  
"Nathan, he's my _best friend_. I came over to hang out with my _best friend_. I found out about the break up and I was comforting my _best friend_." In every sentence she stressed the syllables of best friend even more. She hoped that he would finally get the point.  
  
"Yeah, because sex is the best way to comfort a person." Nathan muttered angrily.  
  
"Why won't you believe me? Nothing happened. Nothing was happening."  
  
"Because I saw you, Haley. I saw my girlfriend on the floor with Lucas."  
  
"You saw it out of context Nathan!"  
  
"I saw what I saw!"  
  
"If you really thought of me and respected me as your girlfriend, you'd believe me."  
  
"If you really thought of me and respected me as your boyfriend, you wouldn't have been there."  
  
"He's my best friend!!!" her voice was rising.  
  
"Dawson was just Joey's friend too." He scoffed, referring to the ever popular TV show.  
  
"Why won't you listen to me? He's always been my best friend. You knew that when we started going out! Why the hell is it so important now?" she was yelling.  
  
"Because." His voice oozed with venom, as he stood up and walked over to her.  
  
Slightly intimidated by his height, Haley kept her cool and looked him in the eye. "What?"  
  
"Because I saw the guilt in your eyes when you saw me," it came out in a whisper, but it affected Haley more than anything else anyone had ever yelled at her. She felt so small and powerless as he walked past her through the door.  
  
She looked at him, wondering at his last comment. There had been guilt in her eyes? Of course Nathan would misconstrue it as guilt. Haley was just shocked to see him there. She was embarrassed that Nathan found her hugging Lucas.

But guilt? Guilt would mean that she wanted more than friendship with Lucas. But because he was Lucas, she could never be anything more than friends with him. Sure, he was good looking- better than good looking. And he was fun. And sweet. And intelligent. And interesting. And introspective. And she loved how warm and safe she felt he made her feel each time they hugged.

But they were just friends.  
  
She marveled at these thoughts so deeply, that she didn't even realize that Nathan was still in the hallway. "Don't deny it, Haley." He said without emotion before finally rushing down the hallway and out of the house.  
  
Still in Nathan's room, Haley felt paralyzed. She didn't know whether to go after him or to call Lucas or to call Peyton or... She could barely form full sentences. The thoughts she just had began to finally register in her mind. Her breathing changed slightly, becoming more ragged. Her bottom lip began to quiver as tears filled through her eyes. And before she even left the Scott house, rivers had formed on her cheeks.


	3. All Roads Lead Back to Lucas

**Just Friends**  
  
by devilsblues  
  
**Chapter 3**: All Roads Lead Back to Lucas  
  
Brooke Davis sat on her best friend's bed, watching as Peyton added finishing touches to her latest sketch. On the paper was a twisted tableau resembling a fight scene. The blonde twisted a curl around her long finger, biting her lip as she analyzed the picture. She knew that her friend was not quite ready to talk yet, a sign that Brooke was truly upset.   
  
When Brooke called Peyton explaining her reasons for breaking up with Lucas, the blonde couldn't help but feel somewhat guilty. She was still attracted to Luke, she couldn't help it. But Brooke never really saw that and as such, couldn't really register her as a reason for Lucas's distraction lately.   
  
After the first few times Brooke confessed her relationship worries to Peyton, Peyton realized that she needed to sever her romantic ties with Lucas. It wasn't what she wanted to do, but in her heart, she knew that that was what she needed to do. It was killing her inside to continue lying to her best friend. It was killing her inside to be in love with someone who loved her best friend. It was killing her inside to have to stand by and watch as Brooke and Lucas made out all the time. It was killing her inside to keep the huge weight of a secret on her shoulders. So Peyton did what was necessary, as a best friend and as a decent human being, she told Lucas they were friends. Period.  
  
Brooke, who didn't know about her friend's "sacrifice", continued to go to Peyton for advice and basically, just to spill her thoughts. That afternoon, she was there to announce that she finally made the break up official.  
  
"How'd he take it?" Peyton asked, hoping that Brooke wouldn't hear the eagerness in her voice.  
  
"Not that great," the brunette confessed honestly. Just because she didn't want to be in a relationship with Lucas Scott anymore, it didn't mean that she wanted to cause him pain. She truly did like the guy. Perhaps it was that their differences finally dawned on her. He was the introverted intellectual and she was- well, she was Brooke.  
  
"How are you?"   
  
"I don't know, Pey." Brooke couldn't think of anything that described how she felt. So she went on babbling. "It's like I'm glad that I finally did it. But I'm not. Because I like him, I really do. He's the sexy kind of smart. And he's really sweet and nice. But on the other hand, he's just so different from me. And I think this caring thing. You know, because I was falling for him. And I don't want to be the expendable one in the relationship, but if we kept at the relationship, he would realize that I was the expendable one and-"  
  
"Brooke, honey, breathe." Peyton warned, with a concerned tone. "You've been wanting this for a long time now." She spoke slowly, handpicking every word, so as not to indicate her happiness at the couple's split. "And you were okay long before Lucas Scott. You'll be okay after."  
  
"You think so?" her eyes were wide and expectant, like that of a curious puppy. Peyton marveled at how innocent Brooke could seem. And yet she knew that deep beneath the make up and superficiality, there was a Brooke that no one but Peyton knew. The vulnerable one. Peyton wrapped her arms around her best friend in a gesture of love.   
  
"I'm sure," she mumbled into the mess of dark hair.  
  
There they sat for quite a while, both thinking of the same guy. Brooke in awe of the feat she had just accomplished. She broke up with the best man she would ever date, putting her well being, the one of the real vulnerable Brooke, above the expectations of others. And in a way, she was proud that she broke up with Lucas. Peyton confused about whether to confront Lucas with her feelings or stay true to Brooke, even after the couple was broken up.  
  
XXX  
  
It had been two days since Nathan saw Haley and Lucas in their compromising position.  
  
It had been two days since Nathan spoke to Haley or Lucas.  
  
It had been two days since Nathan cried.  
  
He was alone now, sitting in his own empty driveway, with the comforting feel of his basketball beneath his fingers. His dark hair quietly rustled by the wind. The moon was high in the heavy darkness of the sky, and the air began to send chills down his spine. Nathan didn't notice though. He was just content sitting in the darkness, with his only true friend in his hands.  
  
For so many years, his father's pushing made Nathan hate basketball. He hated Dan Scott's scolding and nagging and the constant pressure that related to the sport. But lately, he realized it was the one thing that was with him throughout everything. When happy, when sad, when angry, when depressed. Basketball was the one constant thing in his life, through girlfriends and friendships and discovering his half-brother, it was always there.   
  
"I'm sorry," his voice was alone in the darkness. "I've been treating you badly and ignoring you. But that was wrong of me. I should have never let anyone get in the way of us." He apologized to his basketball beneath his fingers and the hoop that hovered above him. Since he had met Haley, she became the center of his life and basketball was pushed to the side. How wrong he was to think that a human being could be as constant and reliable as the game.  
  
"I'm sorry too."  
  
The ball slipped from Nathan's hands and kissed the ground. For a moment he was filled with shock and surprise. Had he entered the Twilight Zone? Did the basketball honestly reply?  
  
But after a few seconds of thought, he recognized the voice. It was soft and female and beginning to cause his heart to twist itself into a knot.  
  
"Haley." Coming from his mouth the word was like a profanity rather than a name.  
  
"I don't know if you were talking to me or not, but I wish you were." She spoke quickly, as if the words would hide if they weren't exposed quickly enough. He couldn't see her, but he knew that she was near. He could feel her presence, it warmed his flesh and softened his barriers.  
  
"What do you want?" His voice was deep. His tone held no emotions.  
  
"To talk." When she had confidence, it was seen in her actions and heard in her voice. And when she was unsure of herself, it was just as obvious. "Your mom told me you'd probably be out here." She paused. Nathan could see her face clearly in the dark, but he guessed she was scrunching up her forehead, calculating her next statement. "I don't want you to hate me, Nathan. Especially not-"  
  
"I could never hate you." The statement slipped out before he could stop himself. The caring in his voice slipped too. He scolded himself in his head. He wasn't supposed to let her know he still cared! He was supposed to be mad! Be mad!  
  
"I don't want you to hate me. Especially over something that isn't real." She continued on, trying to ignore the tenderness she had just heard in his voice. "Because what you saw was... is... something completely different from what you think." Haley bit her lip, she still felt that little bit of guilt inside her. That part of her that would never truly go away. The part of her that loved Lucas Scott as much more than her beset friend.   
  
"Is it?" It was an honest question. Nathan knew that Lucas and Haley never had a history of dating. And in the past, the two always acted as what they claimed to be- best friends. However there had always been the thought bubble hovering above his head, the one that questioned the true feelings of Lucas and Haley.  
  
"I love Lucas. I'm not going to lie to you." Nathan's jaw clenched. "But the love I have for him is the love of one friend to another." His jaw unclenched at the sound of those words. "The way I care about him is different from the way I care about you." The corners of his lips began to turn upward. "You have to believe that."  
  
"I..." Nathan's voice was now the unsure one, and it was Haley's jaw that was clenched in fear. She swallowed, trying to suppress the tears that were coming. "I believe you, Haley." He had to give in to her. His affection for her was far greater than his suspicions of her and Lucas. And as long as Nathan and Haley were together, he knew that she was a good decent person and wouldn't cheat.   
  
In the darkness, amidst the many thoughts that hovered between them, Nathan and Haley made their way to one another. He leaned in and placed a tender kiss on her mouth. She reciprocated with passion.   
  
And as their lips met, making up for the past few days that they had spent apart, they thought of the same person.   
  
Nathan thought of Lucas as his defeated opponent. In that moment, it was Nathan holding Haley in his arms and kissing her.   
  
And Haley?  
  
With her eyes closed shut, she kissed with all the love she had in her. Imagining if it would feel like this with Lucas. 


	4. Peyton Invokes Thoughts

**Just Friends**  
  
by devilsblues  
  
Chapter 4: Peyton-invoked Thoughts  
  
Lucas wasn't aware of the dramatic fight that Nathan and Haley had, in fact he hadn't been aware that Nathan was being as cold to him as ever. He didn't find it strange that Haley only called him late at night. He didn't mind that when they were anywhere in his eyesight, Nathan purposely kissed Haley so he could see. It wasn't that he was oblivious to all of it. He was just sad.  
  
Down at Rivercourt, he spent all his free time shooting hoops with his old friends. And though everyone else noticed what was going on, Lucas didn't. They had reverted back in time.  
  
It was a strange concept to explain to anyone, but most of Lucas's friends understood it. Even Brooke saw it. The only ones oblivious to it, were the ones that it affected the most.  
  
When the school year had started, Lucas was a loner. Nathan was stuck up and socially admired. Lucas played basketball at Rivercourt. Nathan ruled the Tree Hill Ravens. Lucas was single. Nathan had a girlfriend. And Lucas wanted Nathan's girlfriend- but wasn't quite aware of that fact.  
  
The only difference was in the casting of roles. Now starring as the smiling perky girlfriend of Nathan Scott was Haley James. And the strong quiet role of Lucas's best friend was played by Peyton Sawyer.

----------------------X----------------------X------------------------  
  
"Hey Peyton, can I get a ride?" It was mid-afternoon and Lucas had just finished basketball practice with Whitey's team. His hair was soaked in sweat as he leaned on the hood of the blonde girl's car.  
  
"Yeah sure, hop in." She smiled slightly. It was still difficult for her to be around Lucas, though the two had discussed their relationship not long after Brooke dumped him. An honest inquiry as to the availability of Lucas Scott launched the two of them into a four hour long conversation that lead to one place. Friendship. Peyton was slightly upset, something about Lucas still appealed to her, it always would. But now, she settled on being his friend. It was an esteemed position in itself.  
  
"I'm so tired." He sighed, leaning back in the front seat.  
  
"Basketball does that to people," she rolled her eyes.  
  
"Yeah, but its twenty times worse when you're guarding Nathan." Another small sigh. "It's like he should try out for the football team instead."  
  
"That rough, huh?" Her tone dripped with concern.  
  
"Yeah," he lifted the hem of his shirt slightly. "Check this out." There amidst the delicate outlines of his ribs was a large splotch of purples and blues.  
  
"Ouch."  
  
"Was I dreaming when we started to get along?" he mumbled to himself.  
  
"No, you weren't." With some thought she added, "He's so stupid, he's completely okay with Haley but he's taking it all out on you."  
  
"What?" Lucas jerked his head up in attention. Peyton sounded serious and yet, he had no idea what she was implying. "Of course he's okay with Haley. He's taking it all out on me? What are you talking about?"  
  
"You honestly don't know?" Her eyes widened in surprise, as she spun the steering wheel to a left turn.  
  
"No, Peyton. I don't."  
  
"Think, Lucas. When was the last time you saw Nathan pissed off?"  
  
"Uh," he bit his lip in concentration. It was obvious that he had been ignoring Nathan outside of the gym for the past week. "Last week. When I was fucked up about Brooke and Haley was at my house..." Realization dawned on him slowly.  
  
"Exactly."  
  
"But that's stupid. Of course Haley was at my house, she was cheering me up! She's my best friend." He whined defensively.  
  
"Well, not all best friends sleep together to cheer one up." The statement came out plain and without judgment, but Lucas felt as though Peyton just stabbed him.  
  
"WHAT?!" he yelled in disbelief. "I've never slept with Haley. C'mon. It's Haley. Haley and I are like... me and Haley. We're just us. Haley and me. I can't believe anyone would think Haley and I would... 'Cause Haley and I wouldn't..." He sputtered half sentences in an attempt to deny the notion.  
  
"Chill, you'll wear her name out." Peyton gave a half smile, trying to joke her way through so that Lucas would relax. Then again, she also needed Lucas to see what had, as of late, become painfully obvious. "You just said her name five times in a row, Luke." She spoke slowly, unsure of how he would react if she pressed the issue too far. "People get like that when they're talking about the person they're sleeping with..." She paused as he shot her a deadly glare. "Or the person they're in love with."  
  
Lucas began to cough violently, in a mix of laughter and anger. Relief flooded through Peyton. This reaction was a sign that Lucas couldn't even stomach the idea of being in love with Haley. Putting aside all fears that the current rumors were true, Peyton sighed and pulled the car over.  
  
"You okay?" She waited for him to nod, before adding. "This is your stop. I'll see ya around."  
  
He tumbled out of the car with his gym bag in hand. But instead of going directly into the house, he sat on the curb for a while. Crossing his legs Indian-style, he leaned his chin on the bag in his lap and relived the past few moments in the car. Peyton had implied that Lucas was in love with Haley. That couldn't be true.  
  
They were best friends. It would never become the complicated drama that they had seen on TV. It would be better for everyone if they just kept things simple. Friends.  
  
Besides, Luke didn't need a girlfriend. He needed his friends. Even Peyton understood that. But then why had she implanted this idea in his mind? He couldn't be in love with Haley. Not Haley with the brown eyes and the contagious smile. Not Haley with the warm hugs and the bottomless well of comforting words. Not beautiful, smart, sensitive Haley. And out of nowhere a pain sprang up in his chest and something flipped in his abdomen.  
  
Hm, what was that about?  
  
----------------------------X-------------------------------X--------------------------------  
  
"Hey cutie," Nathan greeted his girlfriend. At that moment, she was sprawled across her bed with her cordless phone to her ear. She was giggling when he first entered the room, but paused as she heard his voice. Looking up at Nathan, she quickly whispered a good bye see you later message and hung up the phone. Rolling off the bed, she got to her feet and greeted him with a hug.  
  
"What are you doing here?" Haley asked tentatively.  
  
"Just felt like hanging out." He shrugged. "Who were you on the phone with?"  
  
"Just a friend," she attempted to be nonchalant.  
  
"A friend?" his voice rose slightly. "Like a guy friend?"  
  
"Yeah," she tried to wave off his growing anger with a giggle. "Friends can be guys too."  
  
"Not if they're my half-brother, they can't."  
  
"What the hell?"  
  
"You heard me."  
  
"You cannot tell me who to be friends with." She practically screamed. Before he could even reply, she marched passed him to the doorway and leaned against the threshold. "Get out."  
  
For the first time, he didn't even complain. He stomped past her without a second look, not even looking back at the end of the hallway. Haley wanted to scream. For the past week she had done everything in her power to be the perfect girlfriend, attempting in some way to mend the rift that their previous fight had caused. But apparently her efforts were futile. He still believed that there was malice in the hug between Lucas and Haley. Why wouldn't he just listen to her? He told her he believed her when she said it meant nothing. She even stayed away from Lucas for a few days so that Nathan wouldn't have any rights to be suspicious.  
  
And now they practically broke up over one phone call. Though screams were creeping slowly through her body attempting to escape, it was the tears that came first. In small trickles at first, but by the time Peyton walked in two minutes later, Haley was convulsing in sobs.  
  
"Shh," Peyton coaxed the brunette. "What happened?"  
  
"Nathan..." Sniffle. "We just fought." Sobs. "I think it's over."  
  
"Aw, Hales." She spoke with genuine compassion.  
  
"He still thinks..." Haley used the back of her hand to brush away stray tears. "That something's going on with me and Lucas."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Yeah," she suppressed her tears long enough to explain how she had tried to be the perfect girlfriend so as not to arise suspicion or further arguments. "I don't understand why he won't believe me. I mean, I love Lucas. And I'm always going to love Lucas but I'm in love with Nathan."  
  
The last statement took Peyton by surprise. "Are you sure?" she inquired.  
  
"Well..." Haley hesitated. "No. I thought I was and then this whole fight happened. And now I'm so confused."  
  
"Because of Luke?"  
  
"Because of everything. I know Lucas will never want to be anything other than friends with me. And Nathan wants me to be his girlfriend. But he also wants me to stop being friends with Luke." She bit her lip. "I can't do that."  
  
"Okay..." Peyton sighed. This was complicated. "What do you want, Haley?"  
  
Haley shut her eyes in concentration for a moment. A name almost escaped her throat before she could even think. It was an impulse that she stopped before it was too late. She didn't even know if it was him she wanted, but she had been too eager to say it. Fortunately, Haley stopped herself from blurting out the name and causing mass confusion for herself and for Peyton.  
  
Sadly, Haley just shook her head and replied in an honest, "I don't know."


	5. Midnight Visit

**Author's Note:**_I've been trying to upload this for five days now!! Sorry it took so long, there was something wrong with the system. Thanks for the reviews!! Keep it up!_

Lucas lay alone on his bed, knowing that it was dark outside and that Keith was already fast asleep. All his senses told him repeatedly that he should be in a deep slumber by now, but he wasn't. The blonde hairs of his head were nestled deep into his pillow and his limbs were tucked safely beneath his sheets, but his eyes remained wide open.

His mind continued with activity.

The words Peyton had spoke to him still stuck, adhering to the fibers of his skin and echoing in his brain. At first he laughed at the foolish thought that he could be anything more than friends with Haley. After all, they were Lucas and Haley. The part of best friends was scripted from the moment she moved to Tree Hill. But now, it didn't seem like such a foolish thought anymore.

And there was that ridiculous feeling in his chest that happened each time he thought of her face. Her sunshine smile and her delicate eyes. The abnormal panging, banging, sticky feeling in his chest seemed to appear. He could think of Brooke or Peyton or Angelina Jolie even and nothing that odd happened.

But when he thought of Haley? Thump thump went his heart.

Finally crawling out of bed, he picked a pair of jeans off his floor and pulled a sweatshirt over his head to cover his bare chest. Slowly creeping out of the kitchen door, he felt a surge of adrenaline rush through. This wasn't the first time that he was going to Haley's house at this time of night, they grew up together, sleepovers included. But tonight, it was a whole different world.

------------------X----------------------X--------------------

She was sitting at her computer, checking some friends' websites, downloading the latest episodes of her favorite TV show, typing her thoughts unto an untitled Word document.

Her cursor blinked rapidly, a beacon on the practically empty page. The immaculate white was stained with only two words.

"Haley Scott."

When she was younger, in the goofy sixth grade phase of her life, her notebooks were covered in doodles. Hearts and arrows and bubbly writing over and over again with the words "Haley Scott" along side with "Lucas Haley" and "Mrs. Lucas Scott." At that time, it was still Haley and Lucas together against the world. It was before Nathan or basketball teams or tutoring or any of the insane drama that they had been swept into over the past few months.

The words leapt off the page and cut into her eyes. Years ago, she held her secret wish inside. Through days and nights and periods of fun as well as unhappiness, it was all about one guy. But he was her best friend. At times her only friend. So she did her part to save their relationship. She kept quiet, darted her eyes in the opposite direction when he hugged her, prevented herself from feeling butterflies when his fingers touched her face. She would never let a soul know that she was in love with Lucas.

But that was ages ago. Before Peyton, Nathan, Brooke.

Haley was over Lucas. They were friends, it was not only a statement but a fact. Written in stone as well as tree trunks.

Nathan was her boyfriend. She needed to mend their relationship before anything else.

--------------X-------------X------------

He arranged himself among the roof tiles, sitting patiently and just watching her. Haley looked so deeply concentrated, he wondered what she was doing at the computer. She just sat there, her fingers poised above the keyboard and yet not typing.

Finally, he could take it no longer. He reached his left hand to the glass and tapped softly.

She fell off her chair. Looking up slowly, partially frightened of a robber or rapist, her face flooded with relief when she saw him.

Quickly clicking something on the computer, she hurried to the window and opened it, letting Lucas tumble unto her floor headfirst.

"Oops," she giggled, pulling him up.

"Ow," he replied, rubbing his neck. With his arm lifted, his sweatshirt moved to reveal a thin strip of skin above his jeans. Haley bit her lip as she caught herself staring at the sexy lines of his hip bones.

"What's up?" she asked, nonchalantly. She crawled unto her bed, pulling her legs up so her chin met her bare knees.

"Just felt like saying hey."

"Hey."

"Hey." He smiled. "You aren't going to make me leave now, are you?"

She rolled her eyes. Haley Scott. Haley Scott. The two words danced within her mind as she looked at his angel blue eyes. It made her wonder, yet again, whether she wrote those words wanting to be Mrs. Nathan Scott or Mrs. Lucas Scott.

"Hello? Earth to Haley."

"Sorry, I was spacing out there for a minute." Offering the explanation as she smiled sheepishly. Though he wanted to, he couldn't smile back. He was just sitting at the foot of her bed, gazing at her, registering her every movement.

Slowly, he began to move towards her.

"Haley..." The word rolls off his lips like a forgotten song. His eyes locked unto hers.

"Luke..." Unconsciously, her body unwrapped itself from the position she was in to envelope him in her arms.

Their faces inches apart, their breaths shallow, it was the perfect moment to end the façade of "just friends".

But they didn't. Instead of pressing his cool lips on hers, he kept them inches from her face. His hand lifted to tuck some stray hairs behind her ear. His touch sent shivers up and down her spine.

Haley's heart beat wasn't just a monotonous sound anymore. It whispered to her, a syllable a beat. Kiss him. Kiss him. Kiss him. But she couldn't. How easy it would have been to lean her face in those few extra inches and shatter their insecurities. But this was Haley. The one who considered the consequences and acknowledged reality even when she would be better off without doing so. Her eyelashes caressed her cheeks as she blinked slowly, opening her eyes to unveil the vulnerable and sweet Lucas before her.

"We..." the word stuck in her mouth. She wasn't sure where the sentence would go. Every beat every bone everything told her that she should be honest. Confess how she felt and let go of all the ties that prevented her from falling in love with him. But she couldn't.

They were just friends.

"Let's sleep?" he offered. Leaning back, he settled on top of her covers as she stayed frozen in her sitting position. Why had he come here just now? Why hadn't he kissed her?

Because he knew. He knew that she was the same Haley James that refused to get into a pool unless it was the perfect temperature. She wouldn't kiss him until it was the perfect time. And he was scared. What if this wasn't the perfect time? He was willing to gamble on love. Even though the hurt from Brooke was still fresh. But he would never gamble on his friendship with Haley. Because that's what mattered most.

He encircled his arm around her waist and pulled her towards him. Snug together, cradled in each other's warmth, they closed their eyes. But neither slept. They lay, feeling the other's breath, heartbeat, body against their own. Refusing to acknowledge their feelings, wondering what the other thought. Longing for this intimate moment to mean more. Much more. More than just friends.

------------------X-------------------------X-------------------------

In a different bed, Nathan was in a similar situation. His arms wrapper around a delicate torso, wisps of dark hair tickled his face. And he could feel the rhythmic breathing against his body, reminding him that she was fast asleep. But he couldn't. He was wide awake and brimming with remorse.

What had he just done?

He came home from Haley's, angry and envious. When they were first together, he congratulated himself on being able to infiltrate the seemingly solid relationship between her and Lucas. He was getting back at his half brother for joining the team- and for Peyton.

But as Nathan and Haley's relationship continued on, he realized exactly why Lucas was so protective over her. She was beautiful and strong and vulnerable and fragile. She was naïve and adventurous at the same time. Around her, he felt strong. He felt the need to stand up straight and be wiser.

Nathan had buried himself so deep in his infatuation with the little brunette, he didn't realize the whole parts of herself that she kept locked away from him. The parts of herself, the pieces of an intricate puzzle, that she revealed to only one other person. To Lucas.

Silently, he yelled at himself. Why had he allowed himself to fall so hard for her? Her smile made him forget his worries and her hugs made him feel safe. Her kisses brought him to paradise.

But it was Lucas she took comfort in. It was his hugs that made her feel safe. It was his smile that brought light into her life.

You couldn't delete years upon years of love and memories with a push of a button. He began to question whether Haley ever really loved him. It was cruel to think of it, because he knew she cared. If she hadn't cared, she wouldn't have cried and begged him to mend their relationship.

But had Haley done so only because she didn't want to see Nathan hurt?

The confusion and tension and anger and envy built inside him. And when she showed up at his door, asking if he wanted to talk, rationality flew out the window.

And now he lay, with a body nestled against his, and all he could feel was regret.


	6. Good Morning

Lucas woke up not knowing where he was, the surroundings felt so familiar but his feelings didn't seem to belong. There was hair all over his face, he had nestled in the comforting scent of floral shampoo all through the night. Now, he felt that he shouldn't have. He shouldn't have let this happen.

She was tucked so perfectly under the crook of his arm, his hands lingered on the softness of her belly, her hands covered his, keeping them safely close to her body.

"Mmm," she stirred in her sleep. He couldn't move, those large blue eyes could only stare at her. They fell asleep no more than five hours ago, but the pleasant slumber his body felt as he slept with her body coiled against his could not last long. With every movement she made, the same thoughts ran through his mind.

This is Haley.

He couldn't move though, something about her, even though she was just asleep, captivated him. It was ridiculous. How could someone be so fascinating when she was asleep? It made no sense. But neither did the feeling running through him now.

Every time her lips parted in a breath, or she body moved against his, all Lucas could think of was kissing her. Leaning down and waking her up with a kiss. Just like in the videos they used to watch when they were younger. The videos where the perfect animated prince would save the perfect animated princess with a kiss. And they would live happily ever after.

Once when Haley and her brothers fought, she ran away. She ran away and ended up sharing Lucas's bed for a week. Her parents were out of town at the time and Karen was only too happy to have her over. They were about ten at the time, and it was the first time, the only time, that Lucas wanted Haley to be his girlfriend. The only time til now.

At ten years old, he didn't quite understand love. He just liked having Haley around, and he knew that he would not only be mad, but upset and disappointed as well, if Haley ever treated any other guy the way she treated him. Because he wasn't just her friend. He was hers. Her what exactly, he wasn't sure. But even at ten, he knew that they were different. Different than anyone would probably ever understand.

And right now, she lay in his arms. But he was just a friend.

--------------X----------------X----------------

Brooke was at school earlier than Peyton for the first time in years. When the blonde stepped out of her car, the first thing she saw was her best friend sitting on the curb. And even with Brooke's natural beauty, she looked like crap.

Jogging pants, neon tube top and heavy denim jacket. So the outfit wasn't that bad. Maybe it was the streaks of mascara running down her face.

"Brooke," Peyton exclaimed in a mixture of surprise and disbelief. "What's wrong?"

"Peyton?" She looked up at her friend, her eyes confused in realizing that she wasn't alone. Blinking quite a few times, she bit her lip as though ready to cry again. Peyton stood frozen in front of her. It wasnt until Brooke buried her face in her hands and began to sob heavily that Peyton sat down next to her and wrapped her arms around him.

"Honey, what's wrong?"

"Such... sorry... didn't..." Words tossed randomly into coherence spilled out of Brooke's palms, which were still plastered atop her crying face. "Accident... and he said... but I knew..." The words began turning into phrases as Brooke took her hands away from her face. Peyton kept her arm secured around her friend's shoulder. She was still bewildered by the sight and sound of her friend. What was going on?

"Brooke, can you tell me what's going on?"

"I'm..." she gulped air before finishing in one long breath. "the biggest slut and worst friend ever."

"What?!" Of all the things Peyton expected, or didn't expect, her to say. That was one statement that never even crossed her mind. Quickly, she did a mental account of friends and boyfriends and came to the conclusion that no one they knew, at least within their circle of friends was really dating seriously. Unless Bronson for some reason cheated on Amber with Brooke. But that would never happen. Would it? What other couples did they know? Asides from Nathan and Haley.

Oh God. Nathan and Haley.

But.

"Nathan?" Peyton's question hung in the air like a profanity. From her friend's lack of acknowledgement, Peyton held onto hope that maybe it wasn't Nathan. Not because Peyton liked Nathan or anything of the sort. Peyton liked Haley. Brooke liked Haley. They had a good, comfortable three-way friendship. And Peyton knew that friendship would be more and more important now because Haley was finally realizing her feelings for Lucas.

And Brooke couldn't have slept with Nathan.

"I didn't mean to," Brooke whimpered after a long period of sobbing.

Oh fuck. It was Nathan.

Fuck.

---------------X-----------------X-----------------

"Do you... uh... want to go to your house?" Haley asked awkwardly. "To change." She added with some afterthought.

She was in bed with Lucas Scott.

Even if they were both fully clothed, it just seemed surreal. They were fully clothed and on their traditional sides of the bed. They were even doing their traditional early morning routine. She brushed her hair while hanging half off the bed and he stretched his ridiculously long limbs until he seemed almost too tall for the bed.

But this morning was different. Because last night was different.

Haley looked over at her blonde stretching boyfriend. Best friend. Who was a boy. So a boy-friend. A boy who was a friend. Even in her mind she was rambling. Stammering. Stuttering. Confused and unsure of what she felt for Lucas.

She thought he looked almost too perfect in her bed. If he kissed her, right then, morning breath and all, she might have not been able to restrain herself. She might lose her virginity to someone who could quite possibly not feel anything real for her at all.

It scared her to even think that.

"Don't I still have clothes here?" Lucas asked, tilting his head sideways as he asked.

God, he looked cute. Snap out of it, Haley!

"Uh, I think..." she got up quickly off the bed and turned away from him, beginning to rummage through her closet.

Why was she feeling like this? Why was she driving herself crazy? It was Lucas_._ **Luke._ Her Luke._**

It would be a long day.


	7. Wanting Haley

Inhale. Exhale. Calm down, he told himself. And yet he couldn't. He could barely even button the jeans that now hung from his hips. They were found, neatly folded, at the bottom of Haley's sock drawer. She was in the bathroom at the moment and he took advantage of her absence to shed the clothes he had slept in and slip into the jeans. It wasn't until he heard the creaking of her bathroom door that he realized, he still didn't have a shirt. Hell, his jeans weren't even zipped.

He quickly tossed on the t-shirt he had slept in, just to avoid being naked in her presence. Well, it wasn't that he would have been _naked_ naked. He just didn't want- He didn't know what he didn't want. He knew that there would be something in that room that he wanted. Something that he couldn't have. And being semi-naked in her presence would only make him want her more.

Hearing the bathroom door open, he turned. And his jaw dropped.

She was in a towel. Just a towel, preumably. Her legs and arms dangling. Her hair slicked back and wet. She was so beautiful.

She sheepishly grabbed the pile of clothes on her chair and scuttled back into the bathroom. But in the twenty agonizing seconds she had been in the room, serious damage was done. Lucas struggled to regain his breath as well as coherent thought.

He. Wanted. Her.

That was the only thought in his mind. And he knew, he knew very well, that if he stayed in that room any longer that he'd burst into flames- that or grab Haley by whatever body part was nearest and kiss her breathless. He knew which option he would prefer, but he was scared that she'd hate him for it.

He was supposed to be her best friend, her solid rock, her person to turn to now that her boyfriend was being a complete jerk. He was supposed to be proud that he held that position. He was supposed to be glad that he held that place in her heart. But he wasn't. No, he wasn't any of those things. He was just a guy, who wanted her. Who loved her.

The bathroom door began to creak open again, and as though he was afraid that she'd hear his thoughts, he scrambled out of the room and ran the whole way to school.

He never even noticed the black car pulling into Haley's driveway.

==========X===========X============

Nathan sat in the front seat of his car, wondering why exactly he sat in Haley's driveway when school was only another couple of blocks away. But the guilt that had been eating him from inside all morning began chomping ferociously again. He was here because he knew that there was a strong possibility of becoming physically sick if he hid this any longer.

Memories of the previous night twisted restlessly in his mind. Arms pinned under arms, legs tangled all over each other, lips searching for comfort, sucking to be pacified. But it was Brooke. It was Brooke, not Haley.

He wanted to vomit.

He wanted to grab Haley pin her down quickly and ravish her, right there in the front seat of his car.

Sighing heavily, Nathan began to pull out of the driveway. He didn't know what he wanted. But being there, knowing that Haley was inside her home, probably sitting at a mirror and applying her favorite watermelon lip gloss, made Nathan feel worse by the second.

At least going to school would force him to focus on Hamlet and trigonometry and the laws of supply and demand. Not Haley and his betrayal and how much it would hurt her if she found out what happened.

=========X===========X===========

Whitey couldn't figure out why both Scott brothers seemed so distracted. It had at least made sense when neither played their best when they still hated each other's guts. Even last week, when Nathan almost toppled Lucas over with every pass, Whitey understood. There was serious history of animosity between the two.

Apparently, now, things were better between the boys but worse within them as individuals. When did the three ring Scott circus ever end?

Studying his clipboard, Whitey reviewed notes on the practice. Their two main plays they had been working on seemed to be flowing smoothly enough. Their full court press was weaker than it could be. And the both Scott had missed 80% of their shots through the practice. The team would need some extra practices before next Saturday's game, but even that wouldn't help if Lucas and Nathan continued playing like mindless zombies.

He sent the rest of the team home, but resolved to talk with both Nathan and Lucas before their performance on the court could get any worse. He pulled Lucas aside first.

"Son, I've noticed that you've been distracted lately," began Whitey's speech to the teenager. "I know its not because of your brother, and I'm glad for that. But now that you two can finally grasp teamwork, your individual performance has dropped quite a bit. So I know that you're probably messed up right now over a girl..."

Whitey smiled knowledgabley.

He patted the blonde's shoulder. "What's going on with the girl?" Whitey asked, a clear picture of Brooke in his mind. The coach anticipated Lucas to open up about Brooke, but instead the young blue eyes refused to meet his.

"You want to talk about Brooke?" coach offered.

"No," he hesitated a few moments before adding, "But I think I'm in love with Haley."


End file.
